Obama's top aide Rahm Emanuel can run for mayor of Chicago

Former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel is eligible to run for mayor of Chicago. This was the ruling of the Supreme Court after the state appellate court decided earlier to bar Emanuel on questions of residency.

The legal wrangling has captivated Chicagoans for weeks. Emanuel's residency was challenged, in part, because he had rented out his house and lived in Washington while serving as President Obama's top aide.

Emanuel, who is leading in the survey conducted by the Chicago Tribune over other opponents for the mayoral post, was earlier granted reprieve by the Supreme Court while his case is being deliberated .

About 300,000 ballots had been printed without his name on it, but were temporarily set aside, the report added.

Opponents of Emanuel have long argued his eligibility due to his residency issues. For the past two years Emanuel has served under President Obama as the White House chief of staff in Washington D.C. During this time Emanuel remained the owner of his home on Chicago's north-side and allowed the home to be occupied by renters. Until today, this has been the foundation of the arguments presented by attorneys of Emanuel.

Rahm Emanuel is a former member of the US House of Representatives representing Illinois 5th congressional district and a former senior adviser at the White House under former US president Bill Clinton.

Emanuel was US president Barack Obama's chief of staff before he entered the Chicago mayoral race.